Gathering Assorted Items of Baseball History and Trivia

On October 2, 1966, Sandy Koufax clinched the N.L. pennant by pitching nine innings on less than two full days’ rest in the second game of a doubleheader with the Phillies in Philadelphia: the final score, 6-3, obscured Koufax’s scoreless first eight innings, but not his 27-9 record. The Los Angeles Dodgers won the pennant by 1.5 games over the Giants, 95-67 to 93-68.

The Chicago Tribune reported: “In the fifth inning today, while Sandy Koufax was pitching to Gary Sutherland, a Philadelphia pinch hitter, the Dodgers’ ace left-hander said “something popped” in his shoulder.

Between innings, he underwent hasty clubhouse treatment, hurried back to take his place at the plate as a batter, then went back to the mound and announced that there were no ill effects.

“Yes, we were very concerned at the time,” said trainer Bill Buhler, who popped the shoulder back in place and gave him an accelerated rubdown. “I don’t think he will have any bad effects from it during the world series.”

Koufax said it was his most important game: “Sure, we’ve had some big ones in the world series, but getting there is the thing-not the series itself.”